About California Model and Design
Why we’re here
California Model and Design (CMD) is a multi-disciplined fabrication studio of highly skilled artisans based in San Francisco. We use a highly collaborative design process to bring innovative design concepts to life. We love what we do and take pride in delighting our clients!
What we do
We work across multiple industries, including architecture, industrial design, branding, consumer goods, and legal to create architectural models, product prototypes, packaging, trade show displays, awards, signage, corporate gifts, consumer goods, or courtroom studies. Depending on the project, our models can range from quick study models that help improve the design vision, to conceptual models that convey the spirit of the design, up to presentation models that help sell the design to investors. Our work involves the careful and tedious but fun hand-crafting of all the tiny parts that go into making your model.
In addition, we can also produce limited small production runs of products that are either in the pre-release stage or just serve too small a market to make injection molding and other large-scale production techniques feasible.
How we do it
We can work from common 2D and 3D CAD formats, sketches, and hand-drafted views. Because we tend to work in thousandths of an inch, the scale of the drawings, and whether they are metric or US Standard, is inconsequential. We use the latest techniques, such as laser machining, stereo lithography, SLS (and the other "printed" variants), CAD/CAM, and chemical milling. We also have in-house thermoforming and casting capabilities.
While we work in various materials, acrylic and ABS are our most common choices. They are easily and accurately machined, bond firmly to themselves, are reasonably strong, and take finishes well. Other common materials are non-ferrous metals, PET, RUF, and wood. Because precise color matching is an essential aspect of our work, we take great care in working with designers to produce a set of master swatches that become production standards.
Who we are
Founded in 1982 by Alan Wolf and Rami Gellar, CMD has always had a "no holds barred" approach to exploring multiple perspectives and cutting-edge processes to achieve compelling results with superior precision, thought, and clarity. Keeping with the studio’s tradition of excellence, Peter Jackson took over management of CMD as principal in 2020, himself bringing over 30 years of architecture and prototyping expertise.
Peter has spent over 30 years of his career honing his craft as an architectural model builder and designer. He has expanded that specialty to the fabrication of product prototypes, consumer goods packaging, and more. Prior to CMD, Peter worked in-house as a creative member of the global design teams at both Woods Bagot and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). Peter’s award-winning work has been showcased in international expos, museum exhibits, and has been instrumental in securing projects in local and global design competitions.
Client List
Amazon • Apple Inc. • Autodesk • BioMarin • BIG Architects • Frog Design • FuseProject • Gap Inc. • Gensler & Associates • Google • Grimshaw Architects • HargreavesJones • HOK • IDEO • J Paul Realty • Landor Associates • Lawrence Halprin • Lime Lab • Method • MIT • National Park Service • NewDealDesign • Pentagram • Perkins & Will • Perkins Eastman • Princeton University • Proctor & Gamble • Rafael Vinoly Architects • Robert AM Stern • Salesforce • Samsung Design USA • SC Johnson • Skidmore Owings & Merrill • Stanford University • Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects • Wired • Woods Bagot